Image display apparatus and operation method thereof

ABSTRACT

Provided are an image display apparatus and an operation method thereof. The image display apparatus includes a display, a memory, and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the image display apparatus to perform a first channel search comprising searching for one or more channels in which a signal exists as a background operation, while simultaneously performing at least one of initial setting operations of the image display apparatus, to perform a channel search condition setting operation among the initial setting operations to obtain a channel search condition, in response to the channel search condition being obtained through the channel search condition setting operation, to perform a second channel search comprising searching for at least one channel receivable by the image display apparatus from among the channels obtained by the first channel search, based on the obtained channel search condition, and display a result of the second channel search on the display.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/916,471, filed Mar. 9, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,348,998), which isbased on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean PatentApplication 10-2017-0030538, filed on Mar. 10, 2017, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosures of each of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to an image display apparatus and an operationmethod thereof, and for example, to an image display apparatus and anoperation method thereof, in which a channel search is performed as abackground operation.

2. Description of Related Art

Display apparatuses have functions of displaying images for users towatch. Users may watch broadcast content through the displayapparatuses. The image display apparatuses display broadcasting selectedby the user from broadcast signals transmitted from a broadcastingstation, on a display.

Moreover, smart TVs providing various content in addition to a digitalbroadcasting function have been provided. It is the goal of the smart TVto analyze and provide what a user wants without manipulation of theuser, instead of operating passively in response to selection of theuser.

Meanwhile, the image display apparatus performs a channel search at thetime of an initial setting operation. The channel search refers tosearching for and providing a channel that may be received by the imagedisplay apparatus among preset frequencies. For the channel search, theuser has to wait on a channel search screen until the channel search iscompleted.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the disclosure provide an image display apparatusand an operation method thereof, in which first channel search, whichincludes extracting valid frequencies at which a signal exists, whileperforming initial setting operations of the image display apparatus,and second channel search, which includes searching for valid channelsthat may be received among the valid frequencies, are performed asbackground operations.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an image displayapparatus includes a display, a memory storing one or more instructions,and a processor configured to execute the one or more instructionsstored in the memory, wherein the processor when executing the one ormore instructions causes the image display apparatus to perform a firstchannel search comprising searching for one or more channels in which asignal exists as a background operation, while simultaneously performingat least one of initial setting operations of the image displayapparatus, to perform a channel search condition setting operation amongthe initial setting operations to obtain a channel search condition, inresponse to the channel search condition being obtained through thechannel search condition setting operation, to perform a second channelsearch comprising searching for at least one channel receivable by theimage display apparatus from among the channels obtained by the firstchannel search, based on the obtained channel search condition, and todisplay a result of the second channel search on the display.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofoperating an image display apparatus includes performing a first channelsearch comprising searching for one or more channels in which a signalexists as a background operation, while simultaneously performing atleast one of initial setting operations of the image display apparatus,performing a channel search condition setting operation among theinitial setting operations to obtain a channel search condition, inresponse to the channel search condition being obtained through thechannel search condition setting operation, performing a second channelsearch comprising searching for at least one channel receivable by theimage display apparatus from among the channels obtained by the firstchannel search, based on the obtained channel search condition, anddisplaying a result of the second channel search on the display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example image display apparatusaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example image displayapparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example image displayapparatus according to another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating animage display apparatus, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example first channel searchmethod according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating animage display apparatus, according to an embodiment; and

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating an example channelsearch method of an image display apparatus, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in greater detail to various exampleembodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have differentforms and should not be understood as being limited to the descriptionsset forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely describedbelow, by referring to the figures, to explain various example aspects.Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list ofelements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify theindividual elements of the list.

Terms used herein will be described in brief, and the present disclosurewill be described in detail.

Although terms used in the present disclosure are selected with generalterms popularly used at present under the consideration of functions inthe present disclosure, the terms may vary according to the intention ofthose of ordinary skill in the art, judicial precedents, or introductionof new technology. In addition, in a specific case, terms may bearbitrarily selected, and in this case, the meaning of the terms isdisclosed in a corresponding description part of the disclosure. Thus,the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined not by thesimple names of the terms but by the meaning of the terms and thecontents throughout the present disclosure.

Throughout the entirety of the specification of the present disclosure,if it is assumed that a certain part includes a certain component, theterm ‘including’ means that a corresponding component may furtherinclude other components unless a specific meaning opposed to thecorresponding component is written. The term used in the embodimentssuch as “unit” or “module” indicates a unit for processing at least onefunction or operation, and may be implemented in hardware, software, orin any combination of hardware and software.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described ingreater detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, thepresent disclosure may be implemented in various forms, and are notlimited to the embodiments described herein. To clearly describe thepresent disclosure, parts that are not associated with the descriptionmay be omitted from the drawings, and throughout the disclosure,identical reference numerals refer to identical parts.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example image display apparatus 100according to an embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image display apparatus 100 may, forexample, and without limitation, be a television (TV), or the like,which may be only an example embodiment, and may also be implementedwith an electronic device capable of displaying an image based on abroadcast signal. For example, the image display apparatus 100 may beimplemented, for example, and without limitation, with variouselectronic devices such as a cellular phone, a tablet personal computer(PC), a digital camera, a camcorder, a laptop computer, a desktop, anelectronic (e)-book terminal, a digital broadcasting terminal, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), anavigator, an MP3 player, a wearable device, or the like. In particular,embodiments may be easily implemented in, but not limited to, a displaydevice having a large-size display such as a TV.

The image display apparatus 100 may be of a fixed type or a mobile typeand may be a digital broadcasting receiver capable of receiving digitalbroadcasting. The image display apparatus 100 may be implemented withnot only a flat display device, but also a curved display deviceprovided with a screen having a curvature or a flexible display devicehaving an adjustable curvature. An output resolution of the imagedisplay apparatus 100 may include, for example, and without limitation,high definition (HD), full HD, ultra HD, or a higher resolution thanultra HD, or the like.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the term “user” may refer,for example, to a person who controls a function or an operation of theimage display apparatus 100 using the control device, and may include aviewer, a manager, or an installation engineer, or the like, but is notlimited thereto.

In the image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment, regioninformation may be configured, which may be configured in advance or maybe configured or changed based on a user input.

The image display apparatus 100 performs a first channel search, whichincludes extracting frequencies 30 (for example, valid frequencies) atwhich a signal actually exists from among frequencies 20 available in acorresponding region, based on region information. Each of frequenciesaccording to an embodiment is indicated by a frequency band having aspecific bandwidth, and may have a corresponding channel number. Each ofrectangular zones included in a list of the frequencies 20 of FIG. 1indicates a frequency or a channel that is available in a correspondingregion. In a list of the frequencies 30 of FIG. 1, hatched zonesindicate valid frequencies.

The image display apparatus 100 performs a channel search conditionsetting operation to obtain a channel search condition.

The image display apparatus 100 also performs a second channel search,which includes searching for channels 50 (for example, valid channels)that may be received by the image display apparatus 100 by scanning theextracted valid frequencies obtained by the first channel search. Thevalid channels may refer, for example, to channels, broadcast data ofwhich may be received. In a list of the channels 50 of FIG. 1, hatchedzones indicate frequencies corresponding to valid channels.

The image display apparatus 100 generates a channel map including thesearched valid channels and stores the generated channel map.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment performsinitial setting operations when the image display apparatus 100 operatesinitially. A process of performing the initial setting operations may becalled out of box experience (OOBE), plug & play, set-up, or the like.However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

The initial setting operations may include, but are not limited to, atleast one of a language setting operation, a region information settingoperation, a channel search operation, and a network setting operation,and may be performed in a preset order.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may performthe first channel search as a background operation while performing atleast one among the initial setting operations. The image displayapparatus 100 according to an embodiment may perform a channel searchcondition setting operation among the initial setting operations toobtain a channel search condition. The image display apparatus 100according to an embodiment may also perform the second channel search asa background operation based on the channel search condition beingobtained through the channel search condition setting operation. Theimage display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may perform thesecond channel search while simultaneously performing remaining initialsetting operations other than the at least one among the initial settingoperations.

The image display apparatus 100 displays a result of the second channelsearch upon completion of the initial setting operations. For example,the image display apparatus 100 may display a screen showing thesearched valid channels on a display.

Thus, by performing the first channel search and the second channelsearch simultaneously and in parallel with the initial settingoperations, the image display apparatus 100 according to an embodimentmay reduce a time needed for completion of the initial settingoperations and may perform other initial setting operations withoutwaiting on the channel search screen until completion of the channelsearch.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example image displayapparatus according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, an image display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment may include a tuner 110, a processor (e.g., includingprocessing circuitry) 120, a memory 130, and a display 140.

The tuner 110 selects a frequency of a channel the image displayapparatus 100 desires to receive from among many electric wavecomponents by tuning the frequency through amplification, mixing,resonance, or the like with respect to a broadcast signal receivedwiredly or wirelessly. The broadcast signal may include audio, video,and additional information (for example, an electronic program guide(EPG)).

The tuner 110 receives a broadcast signal from various sources such asterrestrial broadcasting, cable broadcasting, satellite broadcasting,Internet broadcasting, and so forth. The tuner unit 140 receives abroadcast signal from a source such as analog broadcasting, digitalbroadcasting, or the like.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment may include variousprocessing circuitry and execute one or more programs stored in thememory 130. The processor 120 may include, for example, and withoutlimitation, a single core, a dual core, a triple core, a quad core, anda core of a multiple thereof. The processor 120 may also include aplurality of processors. For example, the processor 120 may beimplemented with a main processor (not shown) and a sub processor (notshown) which operates in a sleep mode.

The memory 130 according to an embodiment stores various data, programs,or applications for driving and controlling the image display apparatus100. The programs stored in the memory 130 may include one or moreinstructions. The programs (for example, one or more instructions) orapplications stored in the memory 130 may be executed by the processor120.

The processor 120 according to an embodiment controls the tuner 110 toperform frequency tuning, thus performing the first channel search whichincludes extracting valid frequencies at which a signal exists amongfrequencies corresponding to a region where the image display apparatus100 is located (for example, frequencies available in the region wherethe image display apparatus 100 is located).

For a digital cable broadcast signal, the processor 120 according to anembodiment extracts the valid frequencies at which a signal exists, byusing a received signal strength indication (RSSI) as a reference value.For example, when an RSSI of a frequency corresponding to digital cablebroadcasting is greater than a preset threshold value, the processor 120may extract the frequency of a corresponding broadcast signal as a validfrequency. In this case, a threshold value for an RSSI may vary, but notlimited to, with a frequency or a common carrier.

On the other hand, when a frequency for which whether a signal exists isto be determined is not a frequency corresponding to digital cablebroadcasting, the image display apparatus 100 determines whether thesignal corresponding to the frequency exists through frequency tuning.For example, when a frequency corresponds to any one of analog cablebroadcasting, digital terrestrial broadcasting, and analog terrestrialbroadcasting, the tuner 110 performs frequency tuning using a particularmodulation scheme to determine whether a signal exists.

When existence or absence of a signal is determined using frequencytuning, a modulation scheme as well as a signal strength need to beconsidered, such that detection of a signal corresponding to a frequencymay be more accurate, but may be slower, than with determination usingan RSSI.

Moreover, for terrestrial broadcasting, since there may be a large errorin determining existence or absence of a radio wave signal present inthe air merely by using a strength of the signal due to noise,interference, diffraction, or the like, it may be more proper todetermine existence or absence of the signal by using frequency tuningthan by using an RSSI. For analog cable broadcasting, there is no largespeed difference between the use of frequency tuning and the use of anRSSI, such that the use of frequency tuning, which provides highaccuracy, may be suitable. However, the present disclosure is notlimited to this example.

Moreover, the processor 120 performs the second channel search whichincludes searching for frequencies corresponding to channels that may bereceived (for example, channels capable of receiving a valid broadcastsignal) among valid frequencies.

The processor 120 performs the first channel search and the secondchannel search as background operations, simultaneously with the initialsetting operations of the image display apparatus 100. For example, theprocessor 120 performs the first operations, to be performed prior tothe channel search operation, among the initial setting operations,simultaneously with the first channel search, and the second operations,to be performed after the channel search operation, among the initialsetting operations, simultaneously with the second channel search.

The display 140 converts an image signal, a data signal, an on-screendisplay (OSD) signal, a control signal, or the like, processed by theprocessor 120, to generate a driving signal. The display 140 may beimplemented with a plasma display panel (PDP), a liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, orthe like, but is not limited thereto, and may also be implemented with athree-dimensional (3D) display. The display 140 may include a touchscreen and thus may be used as an input device as well as an outputdevice.

The display 140 according to an embodiment displays a progress state ofthe second channel search or a result of the second channel search. Forexample, the display 140 may display a screen indicating a progressstate of the second channel search, when the second channel search isnot completed in spite of completion of the initial setting operations.The display 140 may display a result of the second channel search whenboth the initial setting operations and the second channel search arecompleted.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example image displayapparatus according to another embodiment. An image display apparatus200 illustrated in FIG. 3 may be an embodiment of the image displayapparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, an image display apparatus 200 according to anembodiment may include a tuner 210, a controller (e.g., includingprocessing circuitry) 220, a display 230, a storage 240, a communicationinterface (e.g., including communication circuitry) 250, a sensor 260,and a video processor (e.g., including video processing circuitry) 270.

The tuner 110 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the tuner 210 of FIG. 3, theprocessor 120 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the controller 220 of FIG. 3,the memory 130 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the storage 240 of FIG. 3,and the display 140 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the display 230 of FIG.3. The same description as made with reference to FIG. 2 will not beprovided with reference to FIG. 3.

The tuner 210 receives a broadcast signal in a frequency bandcorresponding to a channel number based on a user input (for example, acontrol signal received from a control device, such as a channel numberinput, a channel up-down input, and a channel input on an EPG screen).

The communication interface 250 may include various communicationcircuitry and transmits and receives data or a signal from an externaldevice or a server under control of the controller 220. The controller220 may include various processing circuitry and transmits/receivescontents to/from an external device connected through the communicationinterface 250, downloads an application from the external device, orbrowses the web. The communication interface 250 transmits and receivesdata or a signal by using at least one of a wireless local area network(WLAN) (for example, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, wiredEthernet, infrared (IR), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultrasonic waves,ZigBee, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), and HDMI-Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), according to capability andstructure of the image display apparatus 200.

The video processor 270 may include various video processing circuitryand processes video data received by the image display apparatus 200.The video processor 270 performs various image processing, such asdecoding, scaling, noise filtering, frame rate conversion, resolutionconversion, etc., with respect to video data.

The sensor 260 receives a light signal (including a control signal)received from an external control device through a lighting window (notshown) of a bezel of the display 220. The sensor 260 receives a lightsignal corresponding to a user input (for example, a touch, a press, atouch gesture, a voice, or a motion) from a control device. Thecontroller 210 extracts a control signal from the received light signal.The sensor 260 senses a voice, an image, or an interaction of the user.The sensor 260 according to an embodiment may include a microphone thatreceives a user's uttered speech. The microphone converts the receivedspeech into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to thecontroller 220.

The sensor 260 according to an embodiment senses a user input anddelivers a sensed signal to the controller 220. The sensor 260 senses auser input such as channel up/down, power on/off, channel selection,screen settings, or the like from the control device.

The storage 240 stores various data, programs, or applications fordriving and controlling the image display apparatus 200 under control ofthe controller 220. The storage 240 may include a broadcasting receptionmodule, a channel control module, a volume control module, acommunication control module, a voice recognition module, a motionrecognition module, a light reception module, a display control module,an audio control module, an external input control module, a powercontrol module, a power control module of an external device connectedwirelessly (for example, by Bluetooth), a voice database (DB), or amotion DB. Modules and DBs (not shown) of the storage 240 may beimplemented in the form of software to perform a control function ofbroadcasting reception, a channel control function, a volume controlfunction, a communication control function, a voice recognitionfunction, a motion recognition function, a light reception controlfunction, a power control function, or a power control function of anexternal device connected wirelessly (for example, by Bluetooth) in theimage display apparatus 200. The controller 220 may perform respectivefunctions by using the foregoing software stored in the storage 240.

Meanwhile, the block diagrams of the image display apparatuses 100 and200 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, are block diagrams for anexample embodiment. Elements of the block diagram may be integrated,added, or omitted depending on the specifications of the image displayapparatus 100 and 200 implemented actually. That is, when necessary, twoor more elements may be integrated into one element or one element maybe divided into two or more elements. A function executed in eachelement (or module) is intended to describe embodiments, and a detailedoperation or apparatus thereof does not limit the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating animage display apparatus, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the image display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment performs operations needed for initial setting of the imagedisplay apparatus 100 when the image display apparatus 100 operatesinitially S410. The initial setting operations may include, but notlimited to, at least one of a language setting operation, a regioninformation setting operation, a channel search operation, and a networksetting operation, and may be performed in a preset order.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment performs theinitial setting operations in the preset order when initial settingstarts. The image display apparatus 100 performs the first channelsearch for extracting a valid frequency as a background operation inoperation S420 in parallel while performing the first operations amongthe initial setting operations, in operation S410. The first operationsare to be performed prior to the channel search operation. For example,the image display apparatus 100 extracts frequencies (valid frequencies)at which a signal actually exists by determining whether a signalcorresponding to frequencies available in a region exists based on theregion information set in the image display apparatus 100.

When the channel search operation among the initial setting operationsstarts, the image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment mayterminate the first channel search for all the frequencies available inthe region, even when the first channel search is not completed. Forexample, when the first channel search is performed for only a cablebroadcast signal between the cable broadcast signal and a terrestrialbroadcast signal when the channel search operation starts, then theimage display apparatus 100 may terminate the first channel searchwithout performing the first channel search for the terrestrialbroadcast signal.

Once the channel search operation is performed, the image displayapparatus 100 according to an embodiment sets a channel search conditionin operation S430. The channel search condition may be preset or may beset based on a user input. The channel search operation may include achannel search condition setting operation and the second channelsearch. The image display apparatus may obtain the channel searchcondition by performing the channel search condition setting operation,and may the second channel search based on the obtained channel searchcondition.

When the channel search condition is set, the image display apparatus100 performs the second channel search for searching for a valid channelbased on the set channel search condition as a background operation inoperation S450 in parallel while performing the second operations amongthe initial setting operations, in operation S440. The second operationsare to be performed after the channel search operation. For example, theimage display apparatus 100 may determine whether a frequency satisfyingthe set channel search condition among frequencies extracted as thevalid frequencies in the first channel search includes a valid broadcastsignal that may be received by the image display apparatus 100. Forexample, when the image display apparatus 100 is set to perform channelsearch for cable broadcasting in the channel search operation, the imagedisplay apparatus 100 may determine whether frequencies corresponding tocable broadcasting among the valid frequencies extracted in the firstchannel search include a valid broadcast signal that may be received bythe image display apparatus 100.

The image display apparatus 100 determines a channel corresponding to afrequency including a valid broadcast signal as a valid channel.

The image display apparatus 100 may determine whether a frequency whichsatisfies the set channel search condition among frequencies that arenot searched in the first channel search corresponds to a channel thatmay be received by the image display apparatus 100. For example, whenthe first channel search is terminated without the first channel searchfor the terrestrial broadcast signal in operation S420 of performing thefirst channel search, and channel search is set to be performed for theterrestrial broadcast signal in operation S430 of setting the channelsearch condition, then the image display apparatus 100 determineswhether frequencies corresponding to terrestrial broadcasting include avalid broadcast signal that may be received by the image displayapparatus 100.

Meanwhile, the image display apparatus 100 according to an embodimentmay perform the first channel search and the second channel search in anorder of, but not limited to, a cable broadcast signal and a terrestrialbroadcast signal.

In operation S480, the image display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment displays a result of the second channel search uponcompletion of both the initial setting operations and the second channelsearch S460. For example, the image display apparatus 100 may display amessage indicating completion of channel search S460, a list regardingthe number of searched channels, and so forth.

When the second channel search is not completed after completion of theinitial setting operations (S460:N), the image display apparatus 100displays a screen indicating a progress state of the second channelsearch in operation S470. For example, the image display apparatus 100may display a message indicating ongoing channel search, a graph showinga progress state of the channel search, a list regarding the number ofsearched channels, and so forth. The image display apparatus 100 mayalso display a stop button for stopping the channel search. The imagedisplay apparatus 100 may also display a result of the second channelsearch upon completion of the second channel search.

The image display apparatus 100 may generate a channel map including thesearched valid channels and stores the generated channel map.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example first channel searchmethod according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the image display apparatus 100 performs the firstchannel search which includes extracting frequencies (valid frequencies)at which a signal actually exists by determining whether a signalcorresponding to frequencies available in a region exists based on theregion information set in the image display apparatus 100.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment determineswhether a frequency for which existence or absence of a signal is to bedetermined is a frequency corresponding to digital cable broadcasting inoperation S510, and determines whether the signal corresponding to thefrequency exists using an RSSI as a reference value in operation S520when the frequency is the frequency corresponding to digital cablebroadcasting. For example, the RSSI of the frequency is greater than apreset threshold value, the image display apparatus 100 may determinethat the signal exists actually.

On the other hand, when the frequency for which whether the signalexists is to be determined is not the frequency corresponding to digitalcable broadcasting, the image display apparatus 100 determines whetherthe signal corresponding to the frequency exists through frequencytuning in operation S530. For example, when the frequency corresponds toany one of analog cable broadcasting, digital terrestrial broadcasting,and analog terrestrial broadcasting, the tuner detects a signal strengthby performing frequency tuning using a particular modulation scheme anddetermines whether the signal exists based on the signal strength.

The image display apparatus 100 extracts the frequency at which thesignal exists as a valid frequency S540 and stores an extracted validfrequency band in operation S550.

When the channel search operation does not start, the image displayapparatus 100 performs the first channel search for a frequency forwhich the first channel search is not performed among all thefrequencies available in the image display apparatus 100.

On the other hand, the image display apparatus 100 terminates the firstchannel search when the first channel search is completed or the channelsearch among the initial setting operations starts for all thefrequencies in operation S560.

For example, when the first channel search is performed for only a cablebroadcast signal between the cable broadcast signal and a terrestrialbroadcast signal when the channel search operation starts, then theimage display apparatus 100 may terminate the first channel searchwithout performing the first channel search for the terrestrialbroadcast signal.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating animage display apparatus, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, the image display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment performs operations needed for initial setting of the imagedisplay apparatus 100 when the image display apparatus 100 operatesinitially S610. The image display apparatus 100 performs the initialsetting operations in the preset order when initial setting starts.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment performs thefirst channel search for extracting a valid frequency as a backgroundoperation in operation S620 in parallel while performing the firstoperations, performed prior to the channel search operation, among theinitial setting operations, in operation S610.

According to an embodiment, when the image display apparatus 100performs the first channel search, region information set in the imagedisplay apparatus 100 is changed in operation S630. For example, amongthe initial setting operations, in the region information settingoperation, local information, country information, and so forth, but notlimited thereto, may be changed. Once the region information of theimage display apparatus 100 is changed, information about a frequencyavailable in the image display apparatus 100 may be changed based on thechanged region information.

When the region information of the image display apparatus 100 ischanged, the image display apparatus 100 stops the first channel searchin operation S640. The image display apparatus 100 determines based onbroadcasting standard information and frequency information of thechanged region and a previous region whether to store valid frequenciesextracted before the stop of the first channel search S650.

The image display apparatus 100 stores the extracted valid frequencieswithin a range in which the broadcasting standard information and thefrequency information of the changed region match those of the previousregion, in operation S660. For example, when a region set in the imagedisplay apparatus 100 is changed from a first region to a second region,broadcasting standard schemes of the first region and the second regionare Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) schemes, and a firstvalid frequency extracted based on the first region falls within afrequency range set in the second region, the image display apparatus100 may store the first valid frequency. On the other hand, when asecond valid frequency extracted based on the first region does not fallwithin the frequency range set in the second region, the image displayapparatus 100 may not store the second valid frequency. The imagedisplay apparatus 100 performs the first channel search again for afrequency for which the first channel search is not performed among allthe frequencies available in the second region.

When the broadcasting standard schemes of the changed region and theprevious region do not match each other, the image display apparatus 100performs the first channel search based on the changed regioninformation in operation S670. For example, when the broadcastingstandard scheme of the first region is a digital video broadcasting(DVB) scheme and the broadcasting standard scheme of the second regionis the ATSC scheme, the image display apparatus 100 may perform thefirst channel search again within the entire frequency band based on thesecond region, without storing valid frequencies extracted based on thefirst region.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating an example channelsearch method of an image display apparatus, according to an embodiment.

The image display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment performsoperations needed for initial setting of the image display apparatus 100when the image display apparatus 100 operates initially. The initialsetting operations may include, but not limited to, at least one of alanguage setting operation, a region information setting operation, achannel search operation, and a network setting operation, and may beperformed in a preset order. For example, the initial setting of theimage display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may include sevenstages, in each of which an operation needed for initial setting may beperformed. As illustrated in FIG. 7, on a screen, numbers (for example,1 to 7) indicating the stages included in initial setting may bedisplayed and a number of a stage corresponding to an ongoing operationmay be highlighted.

For example, the image display apparatus 100 may perform a languagesetting operation in a first stage of the initial setting, and asillustrated in FIG. 7, the image display apparatus 100 may display alanguage setting screen 710. However, the present disclosure is notlimited to this example.

Once the initial setting starts, the image display apparatus 100performs the first channel search for extracting a valid frequency as abackground operation in parallel with the initial setting operations.For example, the image display apparatus 100 may determine whether asignal exists for frequencies corresponding to region information set inthe image display apparatus 100 as a background operation,simultaneously with the language setting operation, and extract afrequency at which a signal actually exists as a valid frequency.

When the channel search operation among the initial setting operationsstarts, the image display apparatus 100 may terminate the first channelsearch for all the frequencies set in the image display apparatus 100,even if the first channel search is not completed.

Referring to FIG. 8, the image display apparatus 100 displays a channelsearch condition setting screen 810 once the channel search operation isperformed. The operation for setting the channel search condition toobtain the channel search condition may be referred to as a channelsearch condition setting operation. The channel search condition may bepreset or may be set based on a user input. For example, on the channelsearch condition setting screen 810, menu items for setting a type of abroadcast signal and a channel type may be displayed. More specifically,a menu item 820 for setting at least one of cable broadcasting,terrestrial broadcasting, and satellite broadcasting and a menu item 830for setting at least one of digital broadcasting and analog broadcastingmay be included in the menu items. However, the present disclosure isnot limited to this example.

The image display apparatus 100 searches for a channel based on a setcondition. For example, upon reception of a user input to set a type ofa broadcast signal to cable broadcasting and a channel type to digitaland analog and to select a search button 840 as illustrated in FIG. 8,the image display apparatus 100 performs the second channel searchincluding searching for a channel that may be received for frequenciescorresponding to digital cable broadcasting and analog cablebroadcasting. The image display apparatus 100 may also perform thesecond channel search within a range of valid frequencies extracted inthe first channel search. The searching for a channel that may bereceived may be performed as a background operation in parallel with theinitial setting operations to be performed after the channel searchoperation.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, once the channel search conditionis set, as the network setting operation following the channel searchoperation is performed, the second channel search is performed as abackground operation. During the network setting operation, the imagedisplay apparatus 100 may display a network setting screen 910 withoutdisplaying a screen showing a progress state of the second channelsearch.

The image display apparatus 100 may display a screen indicating aprogress state of the second channel search as illustrated in FIG. 10,when the second channel search is not completed in spite of completionof the initial setting operations.

For example, at least one of a graph 1020 showing a progress state ofchannel search and a list 1030 regarding the number of currentlysearched channels may be displayed. The image display apparatus 100 mayalso display a stop button 1040 for stopping the channel search.

On the other hand, upon completion of the second channel search, theimage display apparatus 100 may display a result of the second channelsearch as illustrated in FIG. 11. For example, the image displayapparatus 100 may display a message indicating completion of channelsearch and a list 1110 regarding the number of searched channels.

The image display apparatus 100 may also display a re-search button1120. When the image display apparatus 100 senses a user input to selectthe re-search button 1120, the image display apparatus 100 performschannel search again. The image display apparatus 100 may also display aconfirm button 1130. When the image display apparatus 100 senses a userinput to select the confirm button 1130, the image display apparatus 100generates a channel map including a searched channel. However, thepresent disclosure is not limited to this example.

The image display apparatus 100 also displays a setting complete message1140 regarding the initial setting operations and a confirm button 1150,as illustrated in FIG. 11. When the image display apparatus 100 senses auser input to select the confirm button 1150, the image displayapparatus 100 terminates initial setting.

By performing the first channel search and the second channel searchsimultaneously and in parallel with the initial setting operations, theimage display apparatus according to an embodiment may reduce a timeneeded for completion of the initial setting operations and may performother initial setting operations without waiting on the channel searchscreen until completion of the channel search.

The image display apparatus according to an embodiment extracts validfrequencies before setting the channel search condition, such that theimage display apparatus searches for only the extracted validfrequencies when the image display apparatus performs actual channelsearch satisfying the set channel search condition, thereby reducing atime needed for channel search.

The operation method of the image display apparatus according to anembodiment may be implemented in the form of program commands that canbe executed through various computer components and recorded in acomputer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recordingmedium may include a program command, a data file, a data structure andthe like solely or in a combined manner. The program command recorded inthe computer-readable recording medium may be a program commandspecially designed and configured for the present embodiments or aprogram command known to be used by those skilled in the art of thecomputer software field. Examples of the computer-readable recordingmedium may include magnetic media such as hard disk, floppy disk, andmagnetic tape, optical media such as compact disk read only memory(CD-ROM) and digital versatile disk (DVD), magneto-optical media such asfloptical disk, and a hardware device especially configured to store andexecute a program command, such as read only memory (ROM), random accessmemory (RAM) and flash memory, etc. Further, examples of the programcommands include a machine language code created by a complier and ahigh-level language code executable by a computer using an interpreter.

While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described withreference to various example embodiments thereof, the scope of thepresent disclosure is not limited to the description and also includesvarious modifications and improvements made by those of ordinary skillin the art using the concept of the present disclosure defined in theappended claims.

It should be understood that the example embodiments described hereinshould be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments.

While various example embodiments have been described with reference tothe figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image display apparatus comprising: a display;a memory storing one or more instructions; and a processor configured toexecute the one or more instructions stored in the memory, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the processor, are configured to causethe image display apparatus to: perform a first channel search operationfor identifying one or more valid frequency bands from among a pluralityof frequency bands as a background operation, while at least one ofinitial setting operations of the image display apparatus is performed,in response to a user input being received through at least one ofinitial setting operations of the image display apparatus, perform asecond channel search operation for identifying at least one validchannel via which a broadcasting signal is receivable using the validfrequency bands identified through the first channel search operation,and display a result of the second channel search operation on thedisplay.
 2. The image display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one ormore instructions, when executed by the processor cause the imagedisplay apparatus to identify the one or more valid frequency bands inwhich a signal exists from among the plurality of frequency bandscorresponding to region information set in the image display apparatus.3. The image display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the image displayapparatus is configured to, while performing the first channel searchoperation for a cable digital broadcasting, identify one or more validfrequency bands for a cable digital broadcasting based on a receivedsignal strength indication (RSSI) as a reference value for a pluralityof frequency bands corresponding to the cable digital broadcasting. 4.The image display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or moreinstructions, when executed by the processor, cause the image displayapparatus to determine whether to use the frequency bands identified bythe first channel search operation prior to a change of the regioninformation for the second channel search operation based onbroadcasting standard information and frequency information of a changedregion and a region previous to the change, when the region informationis changed during the first channel search operation.
 5. The imagedisplay apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the image display apparatus to identifyone or more valid frequency bands in which the signal exists from amonga plurality of frequency bands corresponding to a changed region, whenthe region information is changed during the first channel searchoperation.
 6. The image display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one ormore instructions, when executed by the processor cause the imagedisplay apparatus to identify the at least one valid channel via which abroadcasting signal is receivable by the image display apparatus whilesimultaneously performing remaining initial setting operations among theinitial setting operations.
 7. The image display apparatus of claim 6,wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the processor,cause the image display apparatus to terminate the first channel searchoperation when the second channel search operation starts, and toperform the second channel search operation by using the one or morevalid frequency bands identified by the first channel search operation.8. The image display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or moreinstructions, when executed by the processor, cause the image displayapparatus to perform a third channel search operation for identifyingone or more valid channels from among channels for which the firstchannel search operation is not performed, based on a channel searchcondition, while simultaneously performing the remaining initial settingoperations.
 9. The image display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the oneor more instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the imagedisplay apparatus to display a result of the second channel searchoperation on the display after completion of the initial settingoperations.
 10. The image display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the userinput comprises a channel search condition obtained by performing achannel search condition setting operation to obtain the channel searchcondition.
 11. The image display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinitial setting operations include at least one of: a language settingoperation, a network setting operation, and a region information settingoperation.
 12. A method of operating an image display apparatus, themethod comprising: performing a first channel search operation foridentifying one or more valid frequency bands from among a plurality offrequency bands as a background operation, while at least one of initialsetting operations of the image display apparatus is performed, inresponse to a user input being received through at least one of initialsetting operations of the image display apparatus, performing a secondchannel search operation for identifying at least one valid channel viawhich a broadcasting signal is receivable using the valid frequencybands identified through the first channel search operation, anddisplaying a result of the second channel search operation on thedisplay.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of the firstchannel search as the background operation comprises identifying the oneor more valid frequency bands in which a signal exists from among theplurality of frequency bands corresponding to region information set inthe image display apparatus.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein theperforming of the first channel search as the background operationcomprises identifying the one or more valid frequency bands for a cabledigital broadcasting based on a received signal strength indication(RSSI) as a reference value for a plurality of frequency bandscorresponding to the cable digital broadcasting.
 15. The method of claim13, further comprising determining whether to use the frequency bandsidentified by the first channel search operation prior to a change ofthe region information for the second channel search operation based onbroadcasting standard information and frequency information of a changedregion and a region previous to the change, when the region informationis changed during the first channel search operation.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the performing of the first channel search as thebackground operation comprises identifying one or more valid frequencybands in which the signal exists from among a plurality of frequencybands corresponding to a changed region, when the region information ischanged during the first channel search operation.
 17. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the performing of the second channel search comprisesidentifying the at least one valid channel via which a broadcastingsignal is receivable by the image display apparatus while simultaneouslyperforming remaining initial setting operations among the initialsetting operations.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisingterminating the first channel search operation when the second channelsearch operation starts, and performing the second channel searchoperation by using the one or more valid frequency bands identified bythe first channel search operation.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising performing a third channel search operation for identifyingone or more valid channels from among channels for which the firstchannel search operation is not performed, based on a channel searchcondition, while simultaneously performing the remaining initial settingoperations.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording mediumhaving recorded thereon a program which when executed by a processorcauses an image display device to perform at least the operations ofclaim 12.